2002-03 M.A. Students in Peacebuilding

More detailed biographies of these students are available on this website.

The Institute welcomes 22 new students in its M.A. program:

Mai Ni Ni Aung (MYANMAR), 32, studied zoology in Myanmar and received an M.S. in development studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. She worked with World Vision on a project with street children and recently established an NGO support-ing projects related to the Chin tradition, education, and women's economic development.

Tahir Aziz (PAKISTAN), 32, studied political science and Islamic history and earned an M.A. in anthropology in Pakistan. He worked as director of the Human Rights Commission of the government of Azad Kashmir for four years and most recently has worked as coordinator of the Human Rights Desk with the Kashmir Institute for International Relations in Azad Kashmir.

Mica Barreto Soares (EAST TIMOR), 29, majored in psychology in Indonesia. She worked for an Indonesian human rights group supporting independence for East Timor and for the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) in Dili.

Christine Birabwa-Nsubuga (UGANDA), 26, studied human rights and international law in Uganda and Sweden. Birabwa has worked at the Human Rights and Peace Centre at Makerere University and with the Uganda Human Rights Commission Office. She is a Fulbright Scholar at Notre Dame.

Hindolo Bockarie (SIERRA LEONE), 27, studied polit-ical science in Sierra Leone. He co- founded the Sierra Leone Youth Empowerment Organization and worked with the International Rescue Committee to interview 350 ex-child combatants who have been reunited with their families by the IRC.

Nell Bolton (USA), 27, earned degrees in religious studies and theological studies in Tennessee and Georgia. Nell worked at the Carter Center as a project assistant for African peacebuilding in the Democracy Program, as well as in the Conflict Resolution Program and Public Information Office.

Brenna Cussen (USA), 23, studied mathematics and peace studies in Massachusetts. Brenna spent a year teach-ing high school with the Jesuit Volunteers International in Chuuk, Micronesia. She lived at a Catholic Worker House of Hospitality in Worcester while working with Worcester PeaceWorks.

Cora Fernandez Anderson (ARGENTINA), 27, majored in international studies in Argentina. She worked on the security and light weapons project for the Institute of Criminal and Security Policy of Buenos Aires and for the Argentine Council for International Relations. She is the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship.

Mireya García-Durán (SPAIN), 24, studied political science at Juniata College in the United States and interna-tional studies in Spain. She co-founded a student associa-tion focused on the analysis and practical understanding of the decision-making process in the international arena. Mi received a graduate fellowship from "la Caixa," one of the leading banking institutions of Spain.

Ruth Hill (NORTHERN IRELAND), 24, received a degree in law from Cambridge. Ruth is interested in using sports to promote peace and cultural exchange. Her work with the Japan Organizing Committee for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea enabled her to witness two coun-tries putting aside centuries of conflict to manage a global football event.

Vandy Kanyako (SIERRA LEONE), 28, studied history in Sierra Leone and international relations in the Netherlands. In 1990 he founded Peacelinks to help children victimized by war in Sierra Leone. In 2001 he interned with the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in New York and was awarded the Hague Appeal for Peace prize.

Agadjan Kurbanov (TURKMENISTAN), 30, studied law in Turkmenistan and human rights in Hungary. He has served as legal advisor for the Ministry of Justice of Turkmenistan and in the Liaison Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Ashgabat. Agadjan is the recipient of a Muskie Fellowship.

Patrick Mason (USA), 26, majored in history at Brigham Young University and is a doctoral candidate in history at Notre Dame. He has developed a particular interest in religious peacebuilding, and seeks to explore the theological, cultural, and organizational possibilities for peacebuilding within his own tradition of Mormonism.

Lisa McKay (AUSTRALIA), 26, studied psychology and forensic psychology in Australia. She has worked as a forensic psychologist, trauma counselor and critical incident stress debriefer. She spent six months in 2001 working for the OSCE Mission to Croatia as a stress management and communications skills trainer for the staff.

Brian McQuinn (CANADA), 29, studied business administration in Canada. During five years with the Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution in Ottawa, Brian worked on peacebuilding projects in Indonesia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and East Timor. Most recently he served as the Conflict Resolution Program Manager for the International Rescue Committee in Rwanda.

Chaim Neria (ISRAEL), 27, studied Jewish law and Jewish philosophy at yeshiva and international relations at university in Israel. He has managed the staff at a nonprofit organization for disabled children and worked as a counselor at a home for distressed youth emphasizing peaceful conflict resolution.

Carmen Pauls Wiens (USA), 32, majored in psycholo-gy, bible and religion at Bethel College in Kansas. Carmen has worked as a member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams in Hebron, West Bank, and with the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Palestine and Iraq.

Riziki (Mama-Nassir) Shahari (TANZANIA), 42, studied international relations and French in Tanzania and earned an M.A. in international affairs from Columbia University. In 1986 she joined the Centre for Foreign Relations, Tanzania, where she is currently a lecturer in Africa and the Middle East. She is a Fulbright Scholar at Notre Dame.

Mohamed Shehab El Din (EGYPT), 25, studied busi-ness administration in Egypt and conflict resolution in the Netherlands. Shehab has occupied leadership positions in the Arab Youth Forum, the International Association of Students in Economics and Management (AIESEC) and other national and international youth organizations.

Shabnam Siddiqui (INDIA), 28, majored in sociology in India. She has been engaged in gender and peace activities in both India and Pakistan for the last eight years, including the Indo-Pak People's Forum for Peace and Democracy. Shabnam has served as national coordinator with a women's advocacy NGO based in Mumbai.

Danna Weiss (USA), 22, majored in religious studies at the University of Virginia. Danna is the recipient of a Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Fellowship.

Alexei Zakharov (RUSSIA), 23, earned a degree in social and economic knowledge in Russia and an M.A. in political science from the University of Manchester Moscow program. He has written several articles about the war in Chechnya and worked for an international consortium developing a global conflict early warning system. Alexei is a Fulbright Scholar.

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Home > Publications > Peace Colloquy > Issue 2 (Fall 2002)